Someone Needs Us

 

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:26-31 ESV).

 

Commenting on this Bible passage, a preacher noted that almost every day there's someone, somewhere, who needs someone. It could be someone who's struggling with an addiction or who suffers from depression. It could be someone who's trying to make sense of life or a person who's trying to find their way to the Lord. It could be someone who doesn't understand the teachings of the Bible. The writer further challenged his readers to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and to tune in to the needs of the people around them. This is the background of our reading today. It happened to an evangelist named Philip. He had been teaching about the Lord Jesus in Samaria when an angel of the Lord told him to leave there and go into the desert. Philip did as he was told, and because he listened to the Spirit's prompting, he was able to explain the suffering and death of Jesus predicted by the prophet Isaiah. Because of that encounter a government official from Ethiopia went home rejoicing, able to share the good news with others.

 

The meme attached today is telling. Patience when we are the ones needing someone or something is a topic for another day. The willingness to share from our abundance is my focus today. I know that we often don’t think we possess an abundance of anything. In fact, we are often consumed by our personal needs. It may be health, finances, or relationships; however, we all go through times of need.

 

I was in the grocery store recently and as I checked out, I was simply being my usual extroverted self, with a thick Texas drawl in using words like “ma’am,” “thank you,” please,” and “have great day,” when the lady said, “You will never know how much I need a kind customer just now.” Oh my! How could such a little thing be so great except in the hands of our God? Perhaps today you'll meet some­one who needs you today. Make yourself available to the Holy Spirit. It will bless you as much as them.